I think I started off with the information we have that the vast majority of women were mothers, and this indicates significant issues related to intergenerational impacts of missing and murdered women, as children have lost mothers, sisters.... There are many questions about how children cope where they live--where is their support system?
One of the most important findings is that aboriginal women and girls are as likely to be killed by strangers or acquaintances as they are by an intimate partner.
Another critical finding, which is consistent with Sisters in Spirit, is that only 53% of cases of murder have been cleared by charges of homicide. This compares to 84% for the overall clearance rate of homicide in Canada. We have also calculated the clearance rate by province and have found it ranges from a very low 42% in Alberta to 93% in Nunavut. The clearance rate for Saskatchewan is 78%. This is the highest clearance rate for provinces with a sizeable number of murdered aboriginal women and girls, which suggests that we need to look closer at what Saskatchewan is doing right.
While there are few government initiatives under way to address the issue of violence--such as the federal-provincial territorial working group on aboriginal justice, the FPT family violence initiative, and the FPT status of women forum--the evidence tells us there is a clear need to invest in programs and policies that will change the experiences and outcomes of violence.